boyd-connors

[boyd-connors]

Boyd used to be a good guy in Chey's approximation — more proof that sex just complicated everything... It hurt a little to watch her face fall, and the boyish part of him that still craved everyone's approval wanted to find a way to reverse her opinion.

"Uh, yeah," he said quickly, ignoring his own shirt in favor of her. "Bathroom. C'mon, follow me." The place was so crowded he didn't even think before grabbing her hand, continuing to snake through the room until they reached the door to the men's restroom. He walked in, oblivious to the fact she might not follow.

Maybe she still wasn't ready for this. The large crowd, people so happy and mingling. Some even flirting with disaster and on the verge of hooking up with a stranger.

The mission of the moment had been to find a spot not so crowded. Chey wanted a beer or two, felt as though she deserved it, and as she tried to make her way through the room someone slammed into her. At first the brunette gasped then beer splattered all over her, splashing up in her face and all over her shirt.

"Well, if I was looking for a sign—" The professor muttered and stopped min-sentence when the familiar voice rang through her ears. Hazel eyes found the oceanic blue of Boyd's and locked in on him for a moment.

Life literally just kicked her in the teeth.

"It's, uhh," she glanced down, really to avoid eye contact and pinched her shirt to peel it off of her, "fine, I guess." Then muttered, "par for the course."

"Are there..." Hazel hues panned around, "napkins or something?"

[boyd-connors]

Obviously, his look said as she added her suggestions, looking forward to a night that was way too overdue. Boyd was aware that he had been a shitty friend lately — between Mattie, and Nadia, and the pregnancy scare with Dilan, the scales of their friendship were definitely off balance. The only good news was that with Nadia's check in his bank account, he had enough money to treat Mere for the night, though even that came with the guilt of not being entirely honest.

Whatever it was he was about to say slipped right of his brain as Meredith's robe hit the floor, the backside of her body not leaving much to the imagination. He'd seen it all in the times they'd had to barge in on each other in the bathroom, but this time was clearly on purpose and he didn't have to rush to avert his eyes. "Uhhh," he started, nearly asking if she felt alright, before numbly reaching for his old Providence U shirt instead. "Here," he said dumbly, before his sense caught up to him. "I thought we decided against auditioning for Naked and Afraid."

Normally, her flirting was ever only innocent. It was something they always did with each other and it was something that many people didn't understand - including the boy that she would shamelessly flirt with. Her flirting always meant more for her but she knew that his flirting was just his personality. Now, Meredith was a flirty person with a lot of people but it was all in jest, never really caring about the other person. Not like with Boyd. He was everything for her even if it meant that every time a piece of her heart would break.

She never let her head get in the way but today, she decided that she wanted to play. A sinister smile crept upon her face, her tongue darting out to lick her lips. "A dispensary and shitty movies? Sounds perfect as long as we get a ton of junk food, too. And all the desserts." Moving off the bed, she let the orange robe fall down her bare shoulders onto the floor beneath her, her back facing Boyd. Her hands moved up to her hair, letting her fingers brush through it before let glanced behind her. "Can you get my favorite shirt of yours, please?"

[boyd-connors]

Boyd wasn't in the habit of being turned down twice. He wasn't the kind of guy who had the patience for the long game; it would never be his story that he 'wore a woman down.' But Quinn was the first woman to ever agree to have sex with him, only to rescind the offer once she caught a glimpse of his phone's lock screen...

He never made it a secret that he was a father. Not everyone assumed the little girl on his phone was his daughter, but he never lied when they asked him who she was. He always made it clear he wasn't looking for anything serious, so his identity outside the few short hours they spent together hardly mattered. To most women, that is, but apparently not Quinn.

He never got to the bottom of why she felt that way, never even got to assure her he wasn't looking for a stepmother before she was making her excuses and rushing out the door. It had to be pathological the way it drew him towards her now, like an annoying bruise he couldn't help but want to poke at. "I'm pretty sure you owe me a drink," he teased in a way he hoped was charming — a callback that was deprecating on both of their parts.

LOCATION: Holy Spirits; sitting at the bar AVAILABILITY: closed for @boyd-connors

A whirl of smoke wove seamlessly through the air above her head, pushed effortlessly past the cherry red Quinn had worn on her lips. Le Cirque might have been a good choice for the evening, had she not found protest in what became a string of the worst hangovers she'd ever experienced. Apparently, it was time to accept the fate of things: her age. Her fingers lightly tossed at the cylinder of tobacco, flicking off its smoking remnants into an ashtray. Quinn's eyes swept across the room, looking for something interesting among the crowd. And of course, as they say, if you kept looking for something wrong, you will eventually find it. Find it, Quinn did. Whether it was wrong or not, she wasn't entirely sure.

Quinn averted her eyes quickly, hoping to preserve her pride by not approaching the blonde. What she had done—or rather, failed to do—was embarrassing to admit. For once, she wasn't in pursuit of the attention. For once, she hesitated being the one to open the door. She felt conflicted within herself about it. In fact, she felt so conflicted that she battled herself about it with her sister. 'Am I losing my sh–t? Do I have, like, zero game?' she recounted herself saying, at a complete loss for how she didn't take up the opportunity to lay with the man in question. She was sure that if she had him under closer examination, she would only be in deeper regret. ʻNo offense, Sasa, but I have a personal policy of steering clear from people with kids. I'm not trying to be—'

Her inner thoughts trailed off. She may not have known if she wanted to be involved with someone with kids but she remembered what it felt like knowing she had life growing within her. Her choice to end her pregnancy did not come easily, and there were more times than not that she thought about what could have been. With Jackson. Chocolate hues cast downward, she stared blankly into the ash tray where her fingers rested.

[boyd-connors]

'Hey Siri' were the words that finally pulled Boyd out of his slumber, similar to the way he imagined an ice pick through an eye socket would feel. The only thing that distracted from the pain in his head was the pain in his back, as it quickly became abundantly clear he'd fallen asleep on the floor somewhere.

"Mattie?" he asked groggily, the first idea that came him being that maybe his daughter needed a cuddle and then kicked him out of his bed in her sleep. Could have hit his head, and that explained the headache? But no... Mattie was at a sleepover last night, and Boyd had gone out for a guy's night with—

Hank. A vague memory occurred to him, something about enough alcohol to drown his self-pity and a really dumb idea. He groaned. "Who the fuck are Julia and David?"

time skip --- the next morning

Hank woke up in his own house with no real memory of last night, not at first. Not for the glorious couple minutes he didn't move, just laid there and enjoyed the last comforts of sleep. Then he dared to open his eyes and find the time. The hands on clock bounced, refusing to answer the simple question. Hank's head pounded in a similar rhythm but it was giving answers to questions he didn't yet have.

He was curled in the middle of his bed, blankets surrounding him, like a baby or a new puppy. Takeaway containers kept him company which looked sad and explained some of his feelings right now. Not in pajamas but not in the outfit he left in, Hank reached down to find he wasn't wearing his leg either. Swell. It was too hard to look for anything. The last time Hank remembered being THIS hungover his friends were throwing him a going away part of sorts before he left for the air force.

"Hey Siri," Hank called out as loud as he could, hoping his phone was nearby. Somewhere he heard the chime to say she'd caught it. "Call Julia and David please?"

[boyd-connors]

He could almost, for the very first time, believe that she was sorry, that she regretted leaving because it was the wrong thing to do, but he didn't see a world in which he'd ever believe that she had loved him. That would always be a cruel lie she only told to make herself feel better, to try to make her decision seem noble instead of just selfish. "Don't ruin it now by lying again," he said warningly, but there was too much hurt behind it for it to come out with much bite. Because maybe he always knew this was where they'd end up — she'd convince him she was sorry, he'd fold for Mattie's sake, and the only one who'd end up losing in this all was him...

He kept waiting for the day when it would hurt less. Between his father, his sister, and Nadia, he really ought to be more used to it. But the sting never left, and the wound never really healed; all he was left with was doubts about what he had done wrong. He was surprised it wasn't obvious, or that Nadia had the subtly to avoid exploiting that weakness — the way he lashed out like a wounded animal, the way he was so clearly cornered with no means of escape.

He sighed, exhausted as the fight leached out of him. He hated the way it felt like defeat, but he'd put it off as long as he could. "I'll tell her about you. Tell her you're here. Whether she chooses to see you, that's up to her... But Nadia, I swear, no funny business. This isn't a negotiation. If she wants to talk to you, you don't get to see her without me present."

Perfection was what she'd strived for in life when they'd first met. She'd been an honor roll student since the year she'd moved in with her aunt. She'd had her whole planned out and then came Boyd. He'd been a little rough around the edges, a long ways off from the partner she'd always imagined having, but he'd been perfect in his own way. He'd taught her a lot about life, had given her a reason to pull her head out of the books and to open her heart up to something more. The tattoo (looking freshly touched up) burned at the inside of her finger.

"If you think that I didn't love you..." she trailed off, her voice dropping low. She'd left him like she hadn't given a shit, but she'd never known heartbreak until she'd passed the city limits sign and knew that she wasn't coming back. "I loved you more than I ever loved myself, Boyd. I thought I was saving the both of you. I thought that you'd be better off without me moping around because I was. You had to of seen it. I lost myself and I didn't know how to get it back. I would have made a terrible mother back then. Okay, I know it. It's no excuse for leaving. Leaving was the worst thing I could've done, but I did it and I can't take that back now, but it was never about not loving you."

Truth was, the only future she'd ever saw had been with him. After leaving, she'd barely been able to look forward to the end of the day, let alone months ahead. She'd made it through the day on sheer luck and nothing more. Even eight years later, it was hard to think about what the next week held, but her biggest hope was that one day, her daughter would be in those plans.

Thumb rubbed harshly against the tattooed letter on her ring her finger. She rubbed until it burned, but it didn't do a goddamn thing to erase the letter that she'd never had the courage to cover up. Even months earlier when she'd had the perfect chance to do just that, she'd panicked and had the touch up done instead. "I am always going to be sorry." Hands lifted to lock together over her head and eyes slammed closed as she blew out unsteady air and shakily sucked it back in.

[boyd-connors]

— Starter for @zeynepxturkmen Location: Providence Elementary Start of the School Year Picnic

Boyd hated these kinds of events, the kind where every mother looked down on him because the baked goods he brought were cheap and store-bought. Either that, or the ones whose marriages were falling apart would look at him like fresh meat. He'd had no idea before Mattie how horny PTA meetings could be... All the food everyone brought was set up in a tent, and his cookies looked paltry still in their shrink wrap. "Sorry," he winced at the nearest parent like he could explain himself. "I tried to sign up for napkins, but all those spots were filled."

[boyd-connors]

"Oh shit, you and Kenny are pregnant?" Boyd asked, picking up on enough context clues to know to smile with the news. Between Mattie and his latest scare, pregnancy had never been something that came into his life when planned — but he knew that wasn't the case for everyone. And Mattie had been the best surprise of his life. Finding out he wasn't the father of Dilan's baby was a relief and a disappointment in equal measure. "That's huge, man, congrats."

After agreeing on the idea of a courthouse gathering, something else had come up that had stolen away their attention. "Well, for good reason," he exhaled, trying to keep his excitement at bay as he slowly got around to the point. "We've got a lot on our plates right now, y'know? Gotta look for a new place with this baby on the way. I guess ours isn't big enough for my group of bandits. Fear not, it'll happen and you'll get to party your heart out at the reception, I can guarantee you that."

[boyd-connors]

Mattie was going back to school on Monday — her second to last year of elementary school, god help him — and he wanted to do something special to commemorate. Usually, those kinds of gestures were Meredith's domain, but Boyd figured if he threw enough candy at the girl, she'd be too hyper to realize it was a lame gesture.

Apparently he wasn't the only one facing some sort of anxiety, and the sound of a dull thud and some exasperated words drew his attention. "All I saw was a woman rightly defending herself against a rogue candy shelf," Boyd replied innocently. "I read there's been an uptick in attacks in the new recently, so it only makes sense..."

location: the sugar shack

status: closed for @boyd-connors

Although her sugar consumption had gotten slightly better since being employed by Asli, there were still moments when her stress craving for something sweet just couldn't be ignored. It wasn't due to her new job or anything - Aslihan had been extremely nice from the very beginning - but a cryptic text from her mom saying she'd simply 'call soon' and struggling to get the cash together for the money pit of the house had her frantically searching the shelves for the usual Nerd's Ropes, only to find none in their usual little tub, the owner of the store nowhere to be found to see if they were in the back. "Ugh, could this day get any worse?!" Phoebe lamented, her anger getting the better of her for once and kicking the shelf on impulse, cursing when a couple of candies began to rain down, using the hem of her T-Shirt to scoop them back up, turning frantically to see if there were any witnesses, spotting one. "If anyone asks, this was a definite accident, please? I think going down for destruction of public property would be the straw on the camel's back right now."

[boyd-connors]

Boyd knew he needed to move. Not just because of the landlord, but because sleeping in the same room as his almost nine year old daughter was seriously cramping both of their styles... "Fuck, I'd love to man, but I don't know if we can swing it right now. With Mad's medical costs, breaking the lease, and the cost of movers..." Everything was so damn expensive these days. He ended up being lucky that Dilan's baby wasn't his. "One day, though. That's the dream. Can you hand me the pliers?"

Trying to keep the ladder steady as he could without getting too distracted, CJ was more than happy a friend in need, but was just glad it didn't involve him climbing up to deal with electronics. "I'm sorry your landlord sucks, man. I wish he was like our landlord, like he doesn't seem to ever give a fuck about rent. But then, Jeanie deals with all that stuff..." He trailed off, trying to remember if he handed her this month's payment yet. "Would you ever look into getting another place? Honestly, like, it depends on where you look. I'm sure our building will have something. And it'd be great to be neighbors!"

[boyd-connors]

—Starter for @cheyohara Location: Holy Spirits

It was busy, even by Saturday night standards, and Boyd didn't have the benefit of height to be able to see over the crowds. His only option was to weave through blindly, his eyes glued on his glass as he tried to keep it steady — and full. He'd managed to catch someone stepping back into his path out of the corner of his eye, and sidestepped that disaster only to walk straight into another. "Shit," he swore, as his beer spilled all over himself and whoever he had run into. "Fuck, I'm sorry." He looked up to see it was Chey, which somehow made it all the worse.

[boyd-connors]

Again, he wanted to say: how could he have possibly known any of that? He kept saying, practically screaming, that he wanted her to care, and yet it appeared she only ever did it in secret. Taking classes, Quitting her job — was he supposed to learn about that through mental fucking telepathy? If he'd ever possessed that skill, they wouldn't be here in the first place; he would've had some clue that she was always going to leave him. That was the thing that frustrated him the most — the fact that Nadia kept acting as though he should know all these things about her, when he'd never really known anything about her at all. When she proved time and time again that she'd never known him either...

It surprised him to hear her say she quit her job, the fancy lawyer position he knew she loved more than she could ever love him. It was a sacrifice, sure, but it felt like an empty one. She gave up her dream job, but he'd never had the chance to pursue his. "Fucking waste," he muttered under his breath, but that was far from the most important matter here.

"I call bullshit because you've never given me any reason to believe you!" he shouted in frustration. "You get that, right? I mean, I know you're smart — you have to understand why I don't trust you. Everything you ever told me — about loving me, about wanting to build a life together — all of it was lies. And if you think I'm gonna put the most precious thing I have at risk for more broken promises, you're seriously fucking deluded." Mattie wouldn't understand it, and Boyd wouldn't survive explaining it to her. It would be harder to explain an absence once she knew what she was missing.

He was still breathing hard, his anger still seething, but he took the time to study Nadia as she pulled in ragged breaths. He didn't feel sympathy — refused to feel sympathy — but for the first time he felt like he was maybe seeing something honest. Not the perfect image she projected to the world, nor a calculated show of contrition, but something ugly and real — something she'd rather he not see. He let out a sardonic huff. "That might be the first time in a year I actually believe you..."

Fear wasn't a word she used lightly, but having stood in the bathroom of a bar while he punched the paper towel holder off the wall wasn't something she'd forgotten. His anger was real, and it was justified, but she hated being the person on the other side of it when all she'd ever known from him was a gentle hand and heart. Now, it was like they'd never loved one another at all and only venom ran through his veins and a hatred so deep that she wasn't sure he'd ever be able to see past it, even for the sake of their daughter.

"What job, Boyd? I quit. Two years ago. I quit." She'd fallen from her high and mighty throne and had humbled herself with a career change. "I don't give a shit about any job offer. I don't care about anything except for her. Just because i haven't been knocking down your door doesn't mean I haven't been trying to figure things out. I've got things set up at True Colors to learn sign. I'm... I'm talking to a friend of mine who went through something similar," she trailed off, her heart now thundering wildly against her chest as she paced the small space of the garage.

Her chest was tightening and breathing was unsteady, but she wouldn't back down. If he wanted her to show that she cared, she couldn't afford it. "Every time we've met, by random chance or not, you never give me a chance to speak and even when you do, you're so quick to call bullshit that it doesn't matter what I say." She could drop to her knees and plead for forgiveness, but he'd rattle something off in spite. At least, it seemed that way from her point of view.

"I want to be a part of my daughter's life. I'm not leaving and I don't know what it's going to take to prove that, but I'm not. I'm here because she's here." She'd spent too much time running from herself and now, all she wanted was to get back a little bit of time she'd lost in between, or at least not miss anything more than she already had. If he couldn't get behind that, she wasn't sure where they'd go from there.

She paused her pacing and lifted a hand to her chest. It ached as if her lungs were collapsing from the impact of the grief and regret that had settled there. "I'm sorry," she exhaled between unsteady breaths, head shaking as she did her best to focus on the fact that there would be no comfort in the coldness of the garage. "I'm sorry."

[boyd-connors]

—Starter for @atlaswilliams Location: Literally anywhere... Maybe a bar?

"Okay, so what's this I hear about you putting the breaks on the wedding?" Boyd asked, not sure if he just hadn't heard right. "I mean, for her it makes sense, but you've gotta lock that shit down, Atty. You're not getting any younger..."

[boyd-connors]

Boyd knew Meredith well enough to know that playful flirting was just a part of her personality — another part of their banter that made them such a perfect pair. She'd throw him a suggestive look, and he'd pretend to be scandalized, until 15 minutes later when the roles would be reversed. It came with the territory of knowing someone since you were actually immature, and not just when you acted it — permission to act out every insane, antisocial part of yourself. He supposed that was how he also knew the flirting was only ever in jest — she knew him too well to ever think he was a viable romantic partner.

"I think we should go raid a dispensary and then watch shitty, terrible movies," he said after thinking about it, pulling a shirt over his hand and messing up his hair in the process. It wasn't anything special or celebratory, but it was also so quintessentially them: the kind of thing they used to do back in high school before the responsibilities of life took over.

Meredith found herself eyeing Boyd as he finished getting dressed and part of her wished that he would have just stayed in his boxers. Living together for so long it wasn’t like they hadn’t seen each other in many states of undressed but in this moment, it was like the first time. She didn’t try and hide the smirk that played on her lips as she slowly sat up. “So it’s just the two of us tonight?” brow raised, her tongue darting out to lick her lips. The blonde moved to her knees and let her hands rest on her thighs. She loved Mattie and their whole family dynamic but it had felt like years since she had gotten to spend alone time with Boyd and she wasn’t about to waste any moment of it. “I like the sound of that. I haven’t had you to myself in a long time. What do you think we should do?”

[boyd-connors]

Boyd laughed that his mother was Hank's biggest concern — not because some people might consider it juvenile, but because he understood the inclination so well. Boyd's family was his biggest concern in anything he did, and after finding out Nadia was pregnant, his first thought was 'fuck, what am I going to tell my mom?' "Trust me," he said as soberly as he could manage. "We're not gonna end up in jail. I don't have the kind of money to cover bail." It was a small comfort, but it'd have to suffice.

"So... cheers!" he hollered before taking the shot and dropping it into his beer, chugging the concoction as quickly as possible.

When the bartender gave then their drinks, Hank very reluctantly asked for another. He knew this was going to spell trouble. At the very least, for him tomorrow. Hopefully that was the worst of it but he couldn't be sure. There was a pause to trying and clear his mind, make sure he was open to this rather than dooming it to fail. It was just fun, harmless fun, he mentally repeated.

"Okay, look. Just don't let me go to jail. That's all. We'll be okay and we'll have fun but I don't want to go to jail. My mum will never forgive me." Nodding his head, Hank picked up the shot glass, heaved a sigh, and waited for Boyd so they could drink. Here goes nothing

[boyd-connors]

He would never admit to it — probably wouldn't even realize he'd been doing it unless someone pointed it out to him — but ever since Nadia came back to town, all Boyd had been doing was pushing for a reaction. The anger was real, and so was the hurt; it wasn't like anything he said was inherently untrue, and he'd say it all again if given the chance to. But like a child pushing back against authority trying to find the line, what he'd always been looking for was if Nadia had a breaking point — a point at which she could actually be human. He hadn't been sure it even existed; after so many years, it seemed easier to believe that he'd just imagined that side of her.

But it looked like he'd finally cracked her enough to show an ounce of vulnerability...

The only reason I'm back is because of her. The tears certainly went a long way towards selling the statement, but her previous words and his shattered trust meant he viewed it all with suspicion. He wanted to believe it, for Mattie's sake, but the stakes were too high if he got it wrong.

Her defensiveness once again put him on edge — that she tried to turn it all back onto him, insinuating he was cold and unfeeling when, if anything, he'd always been too hot and felt too much. Wasn't he allowed to be angry? Wasn't a part of making amends accepting whatever reaction it caused in the other person? He still didn't feel like she'd ever truly acknowledged the damage she'd inflicted. She talked about guilt and how awful it had been for her, and yet, his anger was irrational.

It frustrated him that she came armed with these new excuses, these things he should've known before now, and hurled them at him like he was some dickhead who just didn't listen. "How am I supposed to know any of that?!" he exclaimed, raising his voice for the first time this conversation, grateful he'd planned this for after everyone else had gone home. "You told me you came back here for a job! I'm not making that up — that's what you said. You can't get mad at me for being angry, telling me like I should know things when you've never shown me dick." Nadia talking ASL classes, talking to people in the community — it all felt a little useless when she'd never pushed harder to try to meet her daughter.

"And yeah, you're right — it's been a year. I've gotta be honest and say I didn't expect you to stick around that long — but there's giving us space and then there's avoidance. Before now, I've only ever run into you by chance. I know you Nadia. If you really wanted something, nothing could fucking stop you." He remembered the single-minded way she used to study to exams; if motherhood was truly the goal, she wasn't trying nearly hard enough. "And don't say it's me. I'm allowed to be angry — don't tell me that I'm not. Don't act like I'm some fucking monster you have to be afraid of." He had never done anything to be deserving of that — his only crimes had been loving her and trusting her too much.

She was tired of his boyish anger. Sure, he had every reason to hate her for what she had done, but the venom is tone was growing old. As was his insistence that she was cold and unfeeling and hadn't come back for the right reasons. "The only reason I'm back is because of her," she countered sharply and in utter disbelief. She released a low scoff and shifted in her chair. "I've been the one that's cold and unfeeling? Have you heard anything that you've said, Boyd? Honestly? You've done nothing but yell at me and say terrible things since we ran into each other around that fire. I walked in on you screwing someone in a bathroom and I was still somehow the asshole. I've been learning how to sign and I've been talking to people in the community and I've been giving you space while trying to make an effort and that's still not enough."

Nadia's tone wavered with every word that rolled off her tongue and it sounded as if her voice was going to break at any given moment. It was her own anger, her own heartfelt disappointment and the sheer fact that she no longer felt as if she were the only problem. "I've been here. I've been here for almost a year now and you've spent that entire year being so mad at me. I ran. I screwed up. I... I didn't have a hold on my emotions and I should have tried harder. I should have... I should have figured out how to be a person again, and I'm sorry that I didn't. I am really sorry for that."

Shaky hands drummed against her bouncing knees as her heart thundered against her ribcage. She hadn't noticed the hot tears that now stained her cheeks or the fact that between every word, she was sucking in a harsh breath that made her lungs ache. "I came back for her. I quit my job because I couldn't stand to do it knowing how much it had cost me. You think I'm so cold and unfeeling? I'm not. I never have been and I never will be."

[boyd-connors]

—Starter for @cjwelford Location: Boyd's apartment

"I swear to god my landlord's such a piece of shit," Boyd lamented as he climbed the ladder to work on the ceiling lighting fixture that hadn't been working for the last 5 months. He'd put in several maintenance requests, but he'd reached the point where he just had to handle it himself. Fixing things was pretty much the opposite of CJ's job description, but he needed a spotter and the guy was available. "Can't answer a call or text to save his life, but you're even 20 seconds late on rent, he's down your fucking throat..."

[boyd-connors]

Boyd had managed to take a shower at his uncle's place above the shop, but his clothes were still all sweaty and greasy and desperately in need of changing. He thought he had the place to himself so he didn't bother closing the door as he stripped down to his boxers, taking his time deciding on whatever other ratty tee and over-worn jeans to wear instead. The sound of the bathroom door opening only vaguely occurred to him, and the next thing he knew Meredith was in his room, flopping down onto his bed as if it were her own. It was a familiar enough gesture he didn't blink, just like he didn't get flustered over his state of undress, nor the way Meredith's robe rode up high on her thigh. Okay, fine, maybe he noticed that last bit, but they'd been living together so long it would be weird to get weird about it... "Mattie's got the school therapist, and then my mom's taking her for the night, so we've got the whole evening to ourselves?" he offered up as he stepped into his pants. It wasn't that he didn't love having his daughter around, and he knew Mere felt the same, but sometimes it was nice to have time just the two of them. With all the recent changes in their lives, it was nice to be able to reconnect with his best friend.

location: their apartment tagging: boyd connors (@boyd-connors)

Meredith had gotten off work early and decided that she needed a very hot and long bubble bath. Boyd hadn't been home when she got there so she found herself enjoying the quiet whispers of the playlist that she had on her phone while nursing a glass of wine. It had to have been at least an hour when she heard the pitter patter of footsteps coming down the hall. She had to drag herself out of the bath and quickly got dressed in her orange robe. Steam illuminated off of her body and her hair still damp as she made her way into Boyd's room, plopping down onto his bed. "Tell me something good," she whispered, her hands resting on her stomach but her gaze moving to his.